La Salle Color Guard to escort mother, widow of fallen Navy SEALs

This photo released by Universal Pictures shows, from left, Taylor Kitsch, as Michael Murphy, Mark Wahlberg as Marcus Luttrell, Ben Foster as Matt “Axe” Axelson, and Emile Hirsch as Danny Dietz in a scene from the film, “Lone Survivor.” In the age of the superhero, the movies’ most reliable real-life hero has been the Navy SEAL. “Lone Survivor,” is the latest in a string of films, including “Zero Dark Thirty” and “Act of Valor” to honor the Navy’s special operations force with as much faithfulness as the filmmakers could muster.
AP Photo — Universal Pictures

TROY >> The La Salle Institute Color Guard and its drill teams will serve as honorary escorts tonight for members of fallen U.S. Navy SEAL families at a special showing of the movie “Lone Survivor” at Crossgates Mall.

“Lone Survivor,” which makes its debut across the nation on Friday, is the tragic tale of four Navy SEALs who fought heroicially in 2005 behind enemy lines in Afghanistan. The four SEALS, Lt. Michael Murphy, Marcus Luttrell, Danny Dietz and Matt Axelson, were dropped behind enemy lines in an effort to eliminate Ahmad Shah, a high-ranking Taliban member. The mission was codenamed Operation RedWings.

The mission was soon compromised because the four SEALs were discovered in the rugged mountains along the Afghanistan-Pakistani border by Taliban sympathizers. The SEAL team soon found itself surrounded and in a ferocious battle with more than 200 Taliban.

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As the title of the movie suggests, only one SEAL made it home —Luttrell— whose book, “Lone Survivor,” serves as the basis of the movie. All four members of SEAL Team 10 were awarded the Navy Cross, the nation’s second highest citation for bravery. Murphy was also posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest citation for bravery. Murphy, while surrounded by the enemy, exposed himself to Taliban fire in an effort to get off a clear radio signal to call for an extraction team.

Murphy successfully signaled for help before being killed. U.S. forces sent an 8-man SEAL team and an 8-man Army Rangers group to extract the four wounded SEALs. The Taliban shot down the helicopter, killing all the SEALs and Rangers aboard. To date, it is the Navy SEAL’s largest single-day loss of life.

Tonight, before “Lone Survivor” is shown for the first time, a sold-out dinner will take place at Ruby Tuesday’s in Crossgates Mall. A special toast will be given in honor of the 16 U.S. special-ops members who were killed when the helicopter crashed.

When dinner is completed, the La Salle Color Guard, led by brigade commander, Cadet-Colonel Robert Cummings and the school’s battalion leaders, Cadet Lt. Colonels, will escort Dietz’ mother, Cindy, and Murphy’s mother, Maureen, to the movie. Several other family members, as well as a U.S. Naval Admiral, will attend.

La Salle’s drill teams the O’Donovan and McCormick Rifles will serve as an honor guard between the restaurant and theatre.

“I consider this a honor and an amazing opportunity,” said Cummings, who also added he was stunned “by what these men do and the sacrifices they make everyday,” after reading “Lone Survivor.”

The Cadets drew honor guard tonight because of one of its own alums.

“A Navy SEAL who is a La Salle graduate requested La Salle serve as an honor guard,” said Donna Sullivan, who volunteers her time working with the Michael Murphy Memorial Scholarship Foundation and helped set up tonight’s ceremony.

Sullivan said she cannot release the name of the La Salle alumnus serving with the SEALs because he remains on active duty.

La Salle’s participation tonight is one of roughly 10 events the Cadets volunteer for each year.

“We asked for volunteers and 52 stepped forward,” said First Sgt. Paul Peters, a retired 20-year U.S. Army veteran who teaches in the La Salle ROTC program and serves as mentor for the drill teams. “These young men know all about patriotism and discipline. This is something they deal with every day at school.

A school like La Salle is all about giving back: its students volunteer to serve as honor guard at funerals and other events in the community. This past year, they dedicated a monument to all the La Salle alumni who were killed while fighting for their country.”

The movie’s director, Peter Berg, and actor Emile Hirsh, who plays Dietz in the film, may be on hand tonight. However, that won’t be determined until later today.

“Both want to be here,” said Sullivan, who participates each summer in the Michael Murphy-Run Around the Lake, a four-mile race that takes place at Lake Ronkonkoma on Long Island, the Medal of Honor winner’s hometown. “Universal Studios haven’t given us confirmation. Both are busy promoting the movie and there’s issues with travel because of the recent bad weather.”

About the Author

Kevin Moran is The Record's sports editor. Previously he covered high school sports and Siena College basketball for The Record. Reach the author at kmoran@digitalfirstmedia.com
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